“Mephous’ cock is huge. He is just hiding it until the right moment,” Illarion muttered, clearly unable to let that topic go.
Valerius shook his head. “It would serve you right if Dragons did have a biological sex and Mephous was a female.”
“He has a big--”
“Stop! Quiet!” Caden lifted a hand to silence them. “I think I see movement. There! Look!”
Three shadowy figures raced across the darkest part of the street ahead of them. They were crouched low and moved in a startling similar posture. Their legs pumped at the exact same time as if they had planned it that way.
There was a tense silence in the vehicle as they watched the front door, but the figures didn’t go there, but instead disappeared behind a hedge around the side of the house.
“We will not be able to see anything from here,” Illarion said and was already out of the car before either Valerius or Caden could call him back.
Caden exchanged a helpless look with Valerius. They popped open their doors and the moment they did so, they heard a thin, female scream coming from the house that was suddenly cut off. They broke into a run towards the house.
Over their bond, Valerius heard Caden pray, Please, Landry, fight against whatever the Behemoth wants you to do! We’re coming!
Fear And Loathing
Caden had never run so fast in his life. He and Valerius raced across night-shrouded lawns, soon catching up with Illarion, whose eyes were bright with the hunt. Caden felt the urge to rend and tear in his blood too. There was something about those three, half-glimpsed figures that was obscene and he wanted to blast them out of existence.
But it’s Landry, Ross and Harvey in there, Caden thought. Somewhere.
So he told Illarion what he was having to tell himself. Caden grasped the Green Dragon Shifter’s left forearm. “Illarion, remember, we’re not here to hurt them. They’re victims.”
“Until they are not. You will be surprised by how fast they simply become prey,” Illarion answered, but the battle-look in his eyes was dimmed slightly.
“You will not make the decision,” Valerius growled as the three of them dashed along the side of the house. “These are three of my citizens.”
“Citizens?!” Illarion laughed. “They are the enemy. Or they are harboring the enemy. Regardless, all of these restrictions are bad for battle. I hope we do not come to rue your way of doing things.”
Valerius said nothing, but Caden saw the dark set of his eyes. Valerius agreed with Illarion on some level. He wasn’t sharing that with Caden, but it was there plainly for Caden to see who was now beginning to know him so well.
Is he right? Am I putting other people at risk to try and save Landry?
Landry’s backyard was fenced and had a gate. Both were meant to keep in two big German shepherds that roamed back there named Fight and Bite. Harvey and Ross had named them, which was no surprise to anyone who knew Landry’s brothers. To this day, just saying their names had the brothers practically rolling with laughter. Thankfully, their parents had made sure that both shepherds were well trained, but they were territorial and this little slice of backyard was the dogs’ territory.
Caden caught a whiff of both dogs as they vaulted the fence, not even bothering with the gate. Despite the dogs’ territoriality, Fight and Bite had always loved Caden. So he fully expected to be met with doggy licks and wagging tails, or if the dogs reacted badly to him now as a Shifter, with growls and bared teeth. But neither thing happened.
“There are dogs. Fight and Bite. They--”
“Fight and Bite?” Valerius’ eyebrows rose.
“Stupid, I know, but Ross and Harvey are… well, stupid,” Caden admitted with a half-hearted shrug. “But they wouldn’t hurt the dogs. They--”
“There they are. Cowering.” Illarion pointed towards the back of the yard.
The fresh scent had alerted Caden to the dogs still being out. That was unusual. Normally, the two great shepherds were safely ensconced on their dog beds in the parents’ bedroom. But not tonight. Maybe Landry’s parents had simply forgotten about their beloved pets with the shock of their children’s alleged deaths. As Illarion had stated both shepherds were huddled in their dog houses at the far rear of the yard. They whined thinly and the acrid scent of urine hung around them like a miasma.
“They didn’t do that because of us,” Caden said. “We didn’t scare them. We didn’t have a chance.”
“There is no reason for them to have pissed themselves, because of us. No,” Illarion agreed, then he tutted, “This yard is too small for these big dogs! And why leave them outside like this? They deserve to be scratched between the ears and rest by a fire!”
“You’re a dog lover?” Valerius sounded surprised.
“Yes. I have two wolfhounds. Vanya and Viski. I would have brought them with me on the trip, but they don’t like to fly either in a plane or outside of it,” Illarion answered. “They are missing me and I them.”
“Hidden depths,” Valerius murmured with lifted eyebrows.
